Cherry bread is so good!  The dried cherries provide bursts of flavor.  The eggs and butter create a luscious, rich bread.

Updated October 7, 2026 – Originally Posted February 11, 2024

Featured Comment

This is one of my favorite breads to make. I use it as a basic recipe and, although cherries are my favorite, sometimes use different dried fruits like blueberries or apricots-I’ve even used dried pineapple and a little bit of unsweetened shredded coconut! ~ Jen

Cherry bread is a delicious combination of elements.  The dried cherries provide bursts of sweetness and flavor.  The eggs and butter make the bread rich and luscious.

Should You Melt the Butter?

Many bread recipes call for melted or softened butter. That’s to help the butter mix with the rest of the ingredients.

Some bread machines, including my Zojirushi, have a preheat cycle that melts the butter for you.  If your machine has a preheat cycle then you do not need to melt the butter.  Follow the instructions that came with your bread machine for how to add the butter.  If it doesn’t say and you’re not sure, use room temperature butter. 

Making Cherry Bread

This makes a two-pound loaf of bread. Use the basic setting with the medium crust option.

Follow the instructions that came with your bread machine in terms of which ingredients to put in the machine first. With my Zo, I add the liquids first.

Speaking of the liquids, does your machine have a preheat cycle?  If not, the butter, eggs and water should be at room temperature. Cold ingredients can affect the rise.

Here’s a hint for recipes with eggs.  Start with a measuring cup that’s larger than you need.  Add the liquid, in this case water.  Then add the eggs to the liquid and give it a good stir. 

Typically, you’d add the cherries at the add beep. However, I’ve found that fruit is distributed more evenly throughout the loaf if I add them at the beginning. You can read more about that issue in my article about the add beep. 

Do you see all the dried cherries?  Yum!!

Check the dough after five or ten minutes of kneading. Open the lid of the  bread machine and see how the dough is doing. It should be a smooth, round ball.  

If the dough is too dry add liquid a teaspoon at a time until it looks right. If it looks too wet, add flour a tablespoon at a time until it looks right.

Here’s the cherry bread dough in the bread machine.  

Cherry Bread – Bread Machine Recipe

This makes a two-pound loaf. Use the white bread or basic setting with the crust set to medium.

2/3 cup water
2 eggs, beaten
3 1/3 cups bread flour
1/3 cup butter
3 Tablespoon sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
3/4 cup dried cherries 

See below for metric measurements, as well as nutrition information, for this cherry bread recipe.

Cherry Bread Recipe

Cherry bread is so good!  The dried cherries provide bursts of flavor.  The eggs and butter create a luscious, rich bread.

3.67 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Bread Machine Recipes

Cuisine: American

Keyword: bread, cherry, dried fruit

Yield: 14 slices per two-pound loaf of bread

Calories: 188kcal

Recommended Equipment

Bread Machine

Bread Knife

2 Cup Measuring Cup

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup (157.73 ml) water
• 2 egg beaten
• 3 1/3 cups (416.67 g) bread flour
• 1/3 cup (75.67 g) butter
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 3/4 cup (90.91 g) dried cherries

Instructions

• This makes a two-pound loaf of bread. I used the basic setting with a medium crust.
• Follow the instructions that came with your bread machine in terms of which ingredients to put in the machine first.
• Does your machine have a preheat cycle?  If not, the butter, eggs and water should be at room temperature. Cold ingredients can affect the rise.
• Here's a hint for recipes with eggs.  Start with a measuring cup that's larger than you need.  Add the liquid, in this case water.  Then add the eggs to the liquid and give it a good stir. 
• Typically, you’d add the cherries at the add beep. However, I’ve found that fruit is distributed more evenly throughout the loaf if I add them at the beginning.
• Check the dough after five or ten minutes of kneading. Open the lid of the  bread machine and see how the dough is doing. It should be a smooth, round ball.  

  If the dough is too dry add liquid a teaspoon at a time until it looks right. If it looks too wet, add flour a tablespoon at a time until it looks right.

Notes

This is a recipe for a two-pound machine. Use the basic setting with a medium crust.

 

Metric Measurements: This recipe was developed and tested using US customary measurements. Metric measurements are calculated automatically.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 188kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 254mg | Potassium: 45mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 400IU | Vitamin C: 0.001mg | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 0.5mg

 

All information presented within this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information on breadmachinediva.com should only be used as a general guideline. This information is provided as a courtesy and there is no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate. I try to provide accurate information to the best of my ability; however these figures should still be considered estimates.